Message for opening of Jewish Cultural Centre in Moscow

Another sign of the changing atmosphere in the Soviet Union came last night, with the opening, in Moscow, of a Jewish cultural centre&em;the first since the days of Stalin. The ceremony was attended by Jewish leaders from around the world including Mr Edgar Bronfman, president of the World Jewish Congress, and Mr Elie Wiesel, a winner of the Nobel Peace prize. Also present were a number of Western envoys, including Britain's ambassador, Sir Rodric Braithwaite. He read out a message from Mrs Thatcher, expressing the hope that the centre would mark, as she put it, an “important step forward in implementing human rights in the Soviet Union”.